Kopiara

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Kopiara
GENERAL
The Lion King
Character	Kopa
Character	Kiara
Canonical?	Fanon
Status of Relationship	Technical siblings; the two apparently exist in separate continuities
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Family

Kopiara is the familyship between Kopa and Kiara from the The Lion King fandom.

Canon

Kopa is the son and only child of Simba and Nala in a series of books written after The Lion King but prior to the release of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. Kiara is Simba and Nala's first child in a continuity established by the latter film, in which she is one of the main protagonists, and continued with the animated series The Lion Guard. Neither character has appeared in an official work with the other. Indeed, both are styled as heirs to the throne of the Pride Lands in their respective media, seemingly indicating that Kopa either never existed or is no longer alive in the same timeline as Kiara.

Both cubs are noted for inheriting various traits from Simba. Both of them share Simba’s eye coloration, and have the same curiosity Simba evidenced as a cub. However, both also differed from Simba by forming friendships with other young animals whom Simba viewed as enemies. In Kopa’s case, he befriended a young female hyena named Asante. Kiara, meanwhile, made friends and eventually even fell in love with Kovu, a male cub who was the chosen heir of Simba’s usurper uncle Scar.

Through their respective friendships, both Kopa and Kiara would help to bring an end to hostilities between Simba’s Pride and groups that had been their enemies. Each also responds proactively when Simba behaves negatively in what he believes to be the correct course. Despite such friction, both Kopa and Kiara are deeply fond of Simba, and also have strong bonds with their mother Nala. The two also display similar headstrong personalities that tend to lead them into danger or harm.

Kopa, like Simba, is aware that he will one day be king and eagerly embraced this aspect of his destiny. In one novel, he even takes action to regain the throne for Simba after his father is defeated in an unfair contest for the kingship. Kiara, at least as a young cub, is rather more reluctant, in part seeking not to be defined solely by her place as heir to the throne. However, The Lion Guard does depict her as embracing the role as she grows older.

Fanon

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As they are implied to exist in separate canons, Kiara and Kopa's relationship is largely left to the imaginations of those who choose to depict them as existing in the same continuity. Works in which the two appear in the same canon within The Lion King franchise usually showcase a favorable relationship between the two. In these, Kopa is generally portrayed as the older brother to both Kiara and her animated brother, Kion, and he is regarded with fondness and even admiration by both siblings. Such works often seek to explain Kopa's absence from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion Guard.

As a result, Kopa-unless a particular author chooses to kill him-is unexpectedly but ultimately happily reunited with his younger sibling(s) after the conclusion of the events of Simba's Pride. Depending on the author's preferences, this reunion may also follow either the canon conclusion of The Lion Guard series or follow an alternate storyline of the author's own invention. In either event, such works tend to address the matter of Kopa being Simba’s rightful heir, but Kiara having been raised to assume that position while he was believed to be dead. Another common plot thread sees Kopa forming a romantic relationship with Vitani, mirroring the romance between Kiara and Vitani’s brother Kovu.

There are 2 works on AO3 tagged for the relationship.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Kiara/Kopa tag on AO3

Trivia

• There is some debate among fans as to whether the cub seen at the end of the original The Lion King film should be identified as Kopa, Kiara, or another character altogether. Kiara’s presentation scene in Simba's Pride differs in certain details from the first film’s conclusion, and Kiara’s appearance is also distinct from the cub seen in that film.
• Simba's Pride storyboard director Phil Weinstein was unaware of the existence of Kopa at the time he worked on the film.